Body growth and carcass composition of lean reindeer (<i>Rangifer tarandus tarandus</i> L.) from birth to sexual maturity

Ringberg, Tata; White, Robert G.; Holleman, D. F.; Luick, J. R.

doi:10.1139/z81-145

Cited by 40 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…However, in the present study the weight of the liver as a proportion of CW did not change with time. The relative weight of the heart was similar and the relative weights of the liver and kidneys were slightly lower than reported for calves of the same age by Ringberg et al (1981).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Evaluation of silage diets offered to reindeer calves intended for slaughter. II. Feeding of silage and concentrate from January to March

Nilsson

Olsson²,

Lingvall³

1996

Ran

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An experiment involving 56 male reindeer calves, with a mean initial live weight of 39 kg (SD=4.6), was undertaken to evaluate the effect of the concentrate:silage ratio on the performance during feeding to slaughter. Forty four of the calves were divided in four groups, two groups each being allotted to diets with low, 60% (LC), or high, 80% (HC) proportions of a commercial pelleted feed. The remaining twelve calves were slaughtered at the start of the experiment. The experimenral period lasted from January to March. The proportions of concentrate to silage were based on the dry matter (DM) content. The silage, 44% DM, was made from the primary growth of a predominantly grass sward preserved as plastic-wrapped big bales. Animal health was good throughour the experimenr. Small amounts of lichens were mixed into the diets during the first rwo weeks of feeding and may have contributed to the lack of adaptationai problems. The mean daily intakes of DM and metabolisable energy were higher (P<0.01) for calves offered the HC-diet. Despite the higher feed intakes, the increased proportion of concentrate in the diet did not significantly alter live weight gains or carcass weight gains. However, the greater fat deposition (P<0.05) and better carcass gradings indicated a better condition of the animals at slaughtet when less silage was fed. This experiment was the the final part of a three year study of silage based diets for reindeer intended for slaughter and the general conclusion is that the best role of grass silage of this quality is as a limited part of the ration. The silage may, however, play an important role during the adaptation period and further detailed studies are needed to evaluate the applicability of silage as a part of the diet to reindeer.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Evaluation of silage diets offered to reindeer calves intended for slaughter. II. Feeding of silage and concentrate from January to March

Nilsson

Olsson²,

Lingvall³

1996

Ran

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“…50 100 150 Fat-free IFBM, kg masses for the relatively sedentary Svalbard reindeer averaged 0.6 and 0.7 % of BM in summer and winter, respectively, even less than those reported here (0.94% of BM) or those for lean captive reindeer (1 .O% of BM; Ringberg et al 1981). …”

Section: Changes In Body Mass and Composition During Summermentioning

confidence: 62%

Body composition and nutrient reserves of arctic caribou

Gerhart¹,

White²,

Cameron³

et al. 1996

Can. J. Zool.

116

117

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We determined seasonal changes in body mass and composition of arctic caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) in relation to age and reproductive status. Chemical composition was determined for 37 caribou calves from the Central Arctic Herd ranging from 1 to 134 days of age and for 15 adult females collected from the same herd in October, May, and July. Body composition of 5 fetuses from the Central Arctic Herd, 13 calves from the Porcupine Herd, and 10 captive male reindeer (R. t. tarandus) was determined for comparison. Between October 1989 and May 1990, body fat and protein of adult females declined by maxima of 45 and 29%, respectively; an additional 32% of fat was lost between May and July. Mobilization of large amounts of fat and protein suggests winter undernutrition. Chemical composition and growth patterns of calves did not differ between the herds. The growth rate of Central Arctic Herd calves was high during the first 28 d post partum (402 gld), but both growth rate and fatness declined between 4 and 6 weeks of age (to 306 and -18.3 gld, respectively), perhaps in response to insect harassment. Birth masses of males and females did not differ, but by autumn, male calves were 9.1 kg heavier than females. Chemical components (water, fat, protein, ash) were highly correlated with body mass, ingesta-free body mass, and carcass mass. Percentages of fat and water were inversely related, but the intercept decreased with age. Marked seasonal hypertrophy of liver and kidneys was noted in caribou, suggesting the presence of mobilizable protein reserves. Seasonal changes in organ masses may also reflect variations in metabolic activity and nutrient intake.

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“…It has been shown that sex differences in brain size, relative to body size, are related to differential growth rates between the soma and brain tissue in the sexes (Ringberg et al 1981;Willner and Martin 1985;Deacon 1990). In species that are sexually dimorphic in body size, the larger sex (i.e.…”

Section: Social Brain Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Gregariousness increases brain size in ungulates

Pérez‐Barbería¹,

Gordon

2005

Oecologia

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The brain's main function is to organise the physiological and behavioural responses to environmental and social challenges in order to keep the organism alive. Here, we studied the effects that gregariousness (as a measurement of sociality), dietary habits, gestation length and sex have on brain size of extant ungulates. The analysis controlled for the effects of phylogeny and for random variability implicit in the data set. We tested the following groups of hypotheses: (1) Social brain hypothesis-gregarious species are more likely to have larger brains than non-gregarious species because the former are subjected to demanding and complex social interactions; (2) Ecological hypothesis-dietary habits impose challenging cognitive tasks associated with finding and manipulating food (foraging strategy); (3) Developmental hypotheses (a) energy strategy: selection for larger brains operates, primarily, on maternal metabolic turnover (i.e. gestation length) in relation to food quality because the majority of the brain's growth takes place in utero, and finally (b) sex hypothesis: females are expected to have larger brains than males, relative to body size, because of the differential growth rates of the soma and brain between the sexes. We found that, after adjusting for body mass, gregariousness and gestation length explained most of the variation in brain mass across the ungulate species studied. Larger species had larger brains; gregarious species and those with longer gestation lengths, relative to body mass, had larger brains than non-gregarious species and those with shorter gestation lengths. The effect of diet was negligible and subrogated by gestation length, and sex had no significant effect on brain size. The ultimate cause that could have triggered the co-evolution between gestation length and brain size remains unclear.

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Body growth and carcass composition of lean reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) from birth to sexual maturity

Cited by 40 publications

References 17 publications

Evaluation of silage diets offered to reindeer calves intended for slaughter. II. Feeding of silage and concentrate from January to March

Evaluation of silage diets offered to reindeer calves intended for slaughter. II. Feeding of silage and concentrate from January to March

Body composition and nutrient reserves of arctic caribou

Gregariousness increases brain size in ungulates

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